It's been a long time baby
by CindyBaby
Summary: One year had passed since she last saw him.


**Watched "Country Strong" the other day and felt inclined to write something about Beau and Chiles. In my version Chiles left after she and Beau slept together. Beau still took off for California and Chiles continued with her music career. I don't own these characters or Country Strong. **

It's cruel really, that when she sees him again she wasn't expecting it. She had no chance to prepare, or even tell herself to be strong. How was she supposed to know that this bar, the one closest to the hotel, the one she and the rest of the band had stopped at to get something to drink and rest, would be _his. _Well not his, but the one he sung at. She couldn't have known, and now he's here, right in front of her, and it hurts just like it did the last time she saw him. She'd been at the bar, apologizing for bumping into him when that smell hit her. His smell. Her eyes snapped up and connected with his shocked ones. The words died on her her lips as she stared at him. His hand holding a bottle of beer had frozen halfway to his mouth, but now he placed it slowly on the counter, the motion making his arm brush against hers. Her arm tingled and she couldn't stop the gasp from escaping her lips. She hoped to God he hadn't heard it, but the way his blue eyes darkened told her he had. Her eyes flickered down to his lips by their own will, but she forced them up again. He looked even better now, if such a thing was possible.

"Beau" His name came on a breathless whisper and she instantly wanted to take it back, like saying his name would make this real, make him real.

"Chiles" The way her name slipped from his lips felt like a caress, or warm honey melting over cold icecream a hot summer day. His deep voice was just as she remembered. It still made her shiver from head to toe. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here with my band, we were hungry and..." She stopped herself. She didn't have to explain herself to him. "What are you doing her?" The question came out like an accusation, and in a way it was.

"I live here" Oh how stupid he was. For a few seconds he'd actually thought that she was here for him.

She flinched at the hard tone of his voice. She knew that already, had known as soon as she saw him that she had managed to stumble in to the only bar she never wanted to visit. "Oh" She tried to breathe, it was proving to be difficult with him standing so close to her. That too hadn't changed in the year that had passed since she last saw him. "Well I'll be going then, bye" The words came rushed, the panic having overwhelmed her as she realized how close to him she really was, and how it made her feel. She turned to leave but his hand around her arm stopped her. Her skin heated beneath his fingers. It'd been a year since he'd last touched her, and this reminder felt like a hot iron to her skin. She looked up into those blue angry eyes and wondered why life constantly tried to trip her up.

"In a hurry?"

Oh he was angry, anyone could see that, hear it in his voice. It made her want to rip her arm away, gnaw it off, just so she could get away from this, from him. She wasn't ready to face him yet. If she was honest with herself she never would have been ready. "Well yes, I need to get going, nice to see you again, I..." He stepped closer and it made her heart stop and her mouth snapped shut with an audible click. He gazed at her with those dark blue eyes and his hand tightened around her arm.

"It's been a long time Chiles"

It had been. One year of tears and sadness, and regret. It was the last thought that made her snap back to reality. This was deep water, and she wasn't able to swim here. She yanked on her arm but he didn't release her. "Let me go". She demanded, her voice stronger.

"Beau! I see you've met my girl"

They both tensed as Tim came up to them. Again Chiles wondered why life was so cruel to her, was she really that bad a person? Tim was a part of her group, and he had the bad habit of calling her his girl even though they'd only been on a few dates. And he'd only kissed her once, though he'd tried more times than she could count. Appaerently he and Beau knew each other. Wasn't that just lovely.

"Tim. You know each other?"

"You could say that" He shot her a flirty smile which made her cringe "You do too?"

Idiot. He knew damn well that she'd been on that tour with Beau, Chiles fumed.

"You could say that" Beau shot back.

Tim looked down at Beau's hand on her arm and she took the opportunity to yank it back. "I guess you know each other?" Chiles tried to smile, but she could it wasn't one of her best.

An hour later Chiles quickly slipped out the door. Beau had left to use the bathroom and she quickly excused herself, telling Tim and the rest that she needed her beauty sleep and would head back to the hotel. He'd wanted to follow but she convinced him to stay. The last thing she needed was Tim hovering. She didn't relax until she was safe inside her room. She felt kind of silly sneaking away from Beau, but she was desperate. A knock on the door made her jump, damn Tim for not having any common sense when it came to women. Throwing open the door she was ready to tell him exactly how she felt when she froze.

"Not getting off so easy this time sweetheart"

Beau stood leaning against her doorway, a serious look in his eyes. She tried to quickly close the door but he stuck his foot in and chuckled "Expected someone else did you?" He easily pushed the door open and stepped inside, closing and locking it behind him.

"Get out" She snapped.

"Not happy to see me?" His voice was teasing, but his eyes were angry. "One could think that you haven't missed me at all".

"I haven't" She shot back, taking pleasure in the way his eyes turned an even darker blue.

"Now that hurts"

"I'm shocked, who would have thought that Beau the ladies man actually felt" That wasn't fair, she knew he wasn't really like that.

"Well I showed you how I felt but you just threw that in my face didn't you?" Oh he wasn't bitter, not at all.

"Stop" She couldn't go down that road, not again.

"As I remember you didn't want me to stop"

Her hand connected with his face before he had time to react. She blinked, shocked. Before she could say sorry, even though she wasn't, he had grabbed her and pushed her against the wall, his hands holding hers against it, body pressing against hers.

"Don't ever do that again" His husky voice made her shiver and she shook lightly against his body despite her will.

"You deserved it" She replied, her fire coming back to her. She swallowed as he pressed himself closer to her.

"I know" He knew he was a bastard for doing this. He didn't know who Tim was to her, and he was someone he knew, even if he didn't like him, but he had never stopped thinking about her, never stopped wanting her, and when he'd seen her in the bar he couldn't believe his eyes. He hadn't been able to stop himself from following her from the bar, and he wasn't able to stop himself now. She could argue until she was blue, but he knew she wanted him. She didn't want it anymore than he did, but their bodies knew what they wanted. His eyes slipped down to her mouth and back again.

She saw his intent and opened her mouth to protest when his mouth covered hers. The kiss was hard and it sent shivers down her spine. She couldn't hold back a moan when his tongue entered her mouth. His answering smile told her he'd heard it. His mouth left hers and she opened her eyes and stared into his. His hands pressed her arms harder against the wall, showing her that he wanted her to keep them there, before his hands slid down her arms and came to a rest on her neck. They lingered there, stroking the smooth skin softly, reverently. He cupped her cheek and guided her lips back to his as his other hand slid down and one by one unbuttoned her shirt. Her thoughts jumped around in her head, the one screaming that she should stop this sounding weaker and weaker by the second. He pulled back and pressed his lips against her neck hotly, his tongue on her skin feeling like an absolution. Like coming home.

"Don't think" He rasped against her ear, knowing exactly where her thoughts were.

"We can't do this, it's not right" With her last strenght she pushed him away. Leaning back against the wall she tried to catch her breath, and avoid looking into his eyes. If she did, she was doomed.

He tried to steady his breathing as he watched her. She was as beautiful as ever. Still the same Chiles. His Chiles. No, she'd never been his, not really, but why did it feel like it then... There was so much he wanted to ask, so much he wanted, no _needed _to know. "Why'd you leave?"

Her eyes closed, she couldn't believe he'd go there now, well she could, it was Beau afterall. "I thought it was best for everyone, for you, for the tour and..."

"Bullshit" he spat "You ran because you got scared. I searched for you you know, after I woke up and you were gone. Then I heard you'd left the tour, without a word of goodbye".

The guilt was eating away at her and only increasing with his words. He was right of course. She did run, and she had been scared, still was. Scared of the way she felt, the way he still made her feel, but her pride wouldn't let her admit it. "I couldn't stay there anymore, it was a disaster" That much was true. "You knew what I wanted all along".

"And me?"

Tired of him acting like he was a victim to her devices she snapped at him. "Well you got what you wanted right?"

"Like you didn't want it" He spat back at her.

The urge to drive him away grew stronger, her blood boiling with anger along with that old resentment she felt towards him, for making her feel things she didn't want. "Maybe I didn't really" She took a deep breath and met his eyes "You know it was my first time, maybe I just wanted to get it over with" Lie lie lie! Her cheeks turned pink and she felt the warmth spread, she wasn't used to talking about such things so lightly, and especially not with the only man she'd ever slept with. Truth was that Beau was the only one she'd ever wanted that way.

He shook his head, a small ironic smile on his face "Don't lie. Your not that good an actress Chiles"

She bristled, the urge to throw something at him was overwhelming. "I told you I don't want you here, get out"

Instead of leaving he stepped forward, catching her around the waist when she tried to go around him. He pulled her against him, his strong arms keeping her captive. "That's not what you want Chiles"

Stupid, stupid man. God how she hated him right now, she didn't think she'd ever hated anyone this much before, not even her parents. Most of all she hated that he was right. She wanted him, as much as she hated it, she did. He leaned forward, resting his head against hers. The gesture was meant to be comforting, and in a way it was, but the burning in her body only increased. "I hate you" She whispered.

"I know" His answering whisper was enough to make her lift her head up. Their lips met, softly at first, like a promise.

"Just this once" She whispered against his lips.

Neither of them believed her. Her arms wound around his neck and then their lips met again, and this time they both knew where it would end. Beau walked her backwards towards the bed and when the back of her knees connected with it she pulled away, sliding her half unbuttoned shirt off. His gaze burned at her skin and she shivered as she slid her skirt off before sitting down on the bed, slowly making her way to the middle before laying down, her eyes never leaving his.

Her body beckoned to him and he quickly removed his own shirt and jeans, standing before her in just his boxers. He grinned a little before removing those too, chuckling at the pink spots on her cheeks as he did so. He laid down on the bed, his body slowly covering hers. They both moaned when his skin met hers.

"Don't laugh at me" She warned him, her hands sneaked into his hair, pressing his face against her neck.

"I wasn't"

"Were too"

"I like your blushes" He pulled back to look deep into her eyes "It reminds me how innocent you are" his eyes flickered down to her kiss swollen lips and back again.

"Stop" She looked down, her face heating up even more "And I'm not anymore, remember?"

"Oh I remember" His voice was even deeper than usual. "Still, that's just one time... unless you have something to tell me?" His voice was teasing, but she could hear the question underneath it.

She thought about Tim and the kiss they had shared, and the guilt hit her. It wasn't really right of her to treat him like this, even though they weren't together she knew he cared about her. "About Tim..." She forced herself to keep her eyes locked on his "We're not together, but we've kissed, and I, we shouldn't" She rambled. How could she have forgotten about him.

He gazed at her for a few seconds silently, trying to read her. "Do you love him?" He was almost certain she didn't after having observed them at the bar, but he wanted to be sure.

"No, but... It's not right" She added helplessly.

He tried to ignore her skin, pressed so tightly against his, and forced himself to ask the question he suddenly dreaded the answer to. "You want me to leave?"

For all his toughness Chiles knew Beau would do as she wanted. She knew what she should do, what was right, but her skin tingled where it met his, her body followed his every moment against her, wanting more, and she knew that she wasn't strong enough to stop this, not now. They'd gone to far already and there was no turning back now. She knew he knew that too, but had wanted to give her the chance to change her mind, knowing she wouldn't take it, couldn't take it. "No"

As soon as the word left her lips he was kissing her. His tongue slid into her mouth and the kiss turned hungry, desperate, and all thoughts about Tim, tomorrow and old regrets left them. His hand removed her bra, his lips trailing down her chest, making her gasp. His other hand caressed her leg softly before taking hold of her barely there panties and tugging. The fabric ripped easily, his hand making soothing caresses. Her shocked gasp was music to his ears. His fingers slid inside her easily, and he marveled at how perfect it felt. His mouth on her neck, his fingers inside her, her nails raking down his back, it was enough to make him lose what little control he had left and he pulled back to look into her eyes. When her eyes met his he slid into her, making them both moan loudly. He pressed his forhead against hers, her nails biting into his shoulders.

"Beau" Her voice trembled along with her body.

"I'm here baby" The endearment rolled of his tongue like the most natural thing in the world. Like she'd always been his.

Everything was a blur after that. Caresses and moans, bodies fighting for control over the other, her small body on top of his felt like heaven. It was almost ironic how well they fit together. He rolled again and pressed her tightly against the bed, his body moving hard against hers, needing that control. When she came she moaned his name. When he came shortly after, her body holding him tightly, he pressed his face against her neck and groaned her name.

They laid silently in each others arms, their bodies sweaty, her head on his chest and his arms wrapped tightly around her until they fell asleep.

Beau woke first. His finger trailed slowly over her still swollen lips. She fit perfectly against him, she always had. She woke up shortly after, pressing closer to him for a few short seconds before sitting up and meeting his eyes shyly.

"Hi"

"Hi"

They stared at each other in silence before he spoke, his hand finding the back of her neck and guiding her back down to rest against his chest.

"I can't stay away from you" His deep voice was husky when he continued "and I'm not sorry"

"I can't stay away from you either" She pressed a soft kiss to his chest.

**Wow. Been a long time since I wrote smut, hope it wasn't to awful.**


End file.
